A large group of protesters gathered inside Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday to protest the arrest of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil. The Trump administration has detained Khalil and plans to deport him due to his alleged support for pro-Palestinian activism.
Khalil was arrested in New York on Saturday and is now being held in immigration custody in Louisiana. His detention has sparked outrage from Democratic lawmakers, the United Nations special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and civil rights groups.
The protest was led by Jewish Voice for Peace, a progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization. The group stated they were occupying Trump Tower to show their strong opposition.
“We will not stay silent as this administration tries to criminalize Palestinians and those speaking out against Israel’s US-funded attacks on Palestinian people,” the group posted on X.
Trump Tower, located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, serves as the headquarters for the Trump Organization. It is also home to former President Donald Trump, his wife Melania, and their son Barron, who has been living there since starting college at New York University.
The New York Police Department estimated that at least 150 people participated in the protest. Images on social media showed demonstrators holding signs that read, “Fight Nazis, not students” and “Free Mahmoud, Free Palestine.”
According to Kaz Daughtry, New York’s deputy mayor for public safety, there were no injuries, and all protesters were eventually removed from the building.
So far, the Trump Organization has not made any public statements about the incident.
Khalil’s arrest is part of the Trump administration’s effort to fulfill a campaign promise—deporting foreign activists who took part in protests on US college campuses last year. These demonstrations were in response to Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which followed the October 2023 attack by Hamas.